1984

TODD PUTMAN (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) received the Purdue Liberal
Arts Distinguished Alumni Award. This award
recognizes alumni with exceptional careers and
commitment to service within their communities
and professions.

1985

KEN ARMSTRONG (BA, Political Science)
joined the Marshall Project as a writer. The
Marshall Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
news organization dedicated to covering the
American criminal justice system.

1986

TJ ADCOCK (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) was named director of global
trade compliance for the orthopedic product
company Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw, IN.

MARY MURCKO (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) became publisher of Self
magazine in New York, NY.

1987

NANCY WRIGHT (BA, Brian Lamb School
of Communication) started in new business
development for RJE Business Interiors in
Indianapolis, IN.

1988

RHONDA JONES (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) became senior public relations
coordinator for Indiana University Health Arnett in
Lafayette, IN.

MARK VIANI (BA, Political Science) was named
to the board of directors for Southeast Fairfax
Development Corporation in Alexandria, VA.

BETH MATTHEWS (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) became the chief executive
officer of the American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers in New York, NY.

1992

CHRISTIAN BARNARD (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) became group vice president of
client engagement for Razorfish in Austin, TX.

JILL STEPHENS FLEISHER (MS; PhD 1997,
Sociology) was presented with the 2014 Gigax
Faculty Scholarship Award from Baldwin
Wallace University in Berea, OH. The award
recognizes a faculty member who, through
effective scholarship, has enhanced the learning
environment at the university.

KATHY NIMMER (MA, English) was named
2015 Teacher of the Year by the State of
Indiana and was a finalist for National Teacher
of the Year. She also received the Purdue
Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumni Award,
which recognizes alumni with exceptional
careers and commitment to service within their
communities and professions.

SHELIA WHITE (BA, Social Sciences) became
the director of tourism and community relations
for Jasper County Economic Development
Organization in Rensselaer, IN.

JEFFERY C. ZEH (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) was named president of the
Indiana University Health White Memorial
Hospital in Monticello, IN.

1993

MICHAEL KISER (MFA, English) was named vice
president for marketing and communications at
Lafayette College in Easton, PA.

CAROLINE OLAH (BA, Brian Lamb School of
Communication) was inducted into the Society
of Innovators of Northwest Indiana.

1994

CHRYSTAL STRUBEN (BA, Brian Lamb School
of Communication) became the president and
chief executive officer of AYS, Inc., a nonprofit
organization that focuses on after-school
programs in Indianapolis, IN.

RUSTY RUEFF (BA 1984, Brian Lamb School
of Communication; MS 1986, College of
Education) was appointed to the Advisory
Committee on the Arts for the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
by President Barack Obama. Rueff has a
long history of service to the Liberal Arts
at Purdue and across the nation. He serves
on the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s
Advisory Council and is a benefactor of the
Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and
Performing Arts. He is chairman emeritus of
the GRAMMY Foundation and a co-founder
of the Patti and Rusty Rueff Foundation.

He served as president and a member
of the Board of Trustees of the American
Conservatory Theater from 2003–2013.
Rueff was CEO of SNOCAP, Inc. from
2005–2008. He was executive vice president
of human resources for Electronic Arts
from 1998–2005, and previously worked
at PepsiCo from 1988–1998 and at Pratt &
Whitney from 1986–1988. He is a corporate
director of Glassdoor.com, runcoach, and
Workboard, and chairman of 1-page.

“I’ve always felt that we’ve got to bring
the arts as close as we can to a younger
generation,” says Rueff. “I felt that was an
area that I could invest in at Purdue and
make a difference.”
Photo courtesy of Rusty Rueff.
RUSTY RUEFF